Use HLS repeater feature on ireplay.tv
HLS repeater is available for any existing stream whether it be a live stream or VOD. By using this feature on top of your existing online video provider, you get 3 additional benefits
Redundancy is obviously the first benefit of HLS repeater to get redundancy for your streams.
Cost reduction is also directly available as you can choose to set iReplay as your primary stream (as it is cheaper than other online providers, at USD0.001 per minute), or set it as a secondary source (to get the other benefits below only)
Google Analytics (including real time analytics) If you are already familiar with Google Analytics, you can view the statistics of your live stream directly within the familiar interface, and have access to real-time reporting.
DVR / catch-up Some online video providers still don't include this essential feature to maximize your audience, and require an additional subscription. It allows viewers to start watching the stream from the beginning even after the live event has ended (any user can start from the beginning, but the event is also available as a VOD asset immediately after the end of the event on the same URL)
How to get the m3u8 manifest URL from a live stream?
Any online video provider (OVP) is supposed to provide an m3u8 URL so you can add your streams to any app (connected TV, mobile devices). Nevertheless, some of them require to pay more to get access to this URL.
If you don't get it from your OVP, to get the m3u8 manifest URL from any stream, you can use a program or tool that can inspect the network requests being made by the player or the website hosting the live stream. Some examples include:
- The browser's developer tools (e.g. "Network" tab in Chrome DevTools)
- A browser extension like "Stream Detector" for Chrome or Firefox
- A command-line tool like "curl" or "wget"
Once you have access to the network requests, you should look for a request to a URL that ends (or contains) in "m3u8". This is the manifest file that contains information about the individual segments of the stream and can be used to play the stream using a compatible player.
Some live streams are protected and require a specific token to access the stream, in that case, you will need the token to access the m3u8 manifest URL.
